Shantinatha, Sixteenth Jain Tirthankara

Historical Significance :- Shree Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain Tirthankar. He was born to King Visvasen and Queen Achira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 25 years old and became a Jain monk at the age of 50, when he started his penance to become a Siddha or a liberated soul. The place of origin of this sculpture points to the spread of the Jain religion. Cultural Significance :- This image of Shantinath must have been a part of the magnificent marble temple of the 12th century A.D. But for the inscription, the sculpture could not have been identified as Shantinatha, as his cognizance, the deer, is not carved on the pedestal since this iconographic feature which helps to identify Jain images, was introduced much later. Artistic Significance :- The sculpture is one of the early intricately carved images of Shantinatha. Here he stands fully calm and composed, with his eyes closed. He is in meditation in the Kayotsarga pose, which literally means ‘dismissing the body’. In this the person gives up one's physical comfort and body movements, thus staying steady, either in a standing or some other posture, and concentrates upon the true nature of the soul. There is a Shrivatsa emblem on his chest, which is an important part of Jain iconography and distinguishes it from Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. There is an elaborate halo or the Prabhavali which is inset with a number of human figures. A donor couple is seated in prayerful supplication on either side of his feet. The chauri bearers elegantly wave their chauris, or fly whisks, standing behind the donors, right under the hands of the Jina. Spiritual Significance :- The Tirthankar has a very revered place in the Jain religion. He is the great teacher and a savior, who has conquered the cycle of death and rebirth and has made a path for others to follow. The teachings of the Tirthankaras is the basis of the canons of Jainism.